Clay Aikens began his rise to fame on the second season of American Idol when he sang his heart out, all the way to the top two, but ended the second season with being sent home and not winning the title of “American Idol”. Clay joked after making it into the final two of The Celebrity Apprentice, “Well… I guess one way to look at it all is… I now can’t do any worse on this show than I did on my last one.”
It didn’t take long for RCA to offer the talented singer a recording contract, in fact his first debut album “Measure of a Man” went multi-platinum.
The openly gay singer has been a force to reckon with on The Celebrity Apprentice and unlike a lot of the other celebrities, he didn’t get mixed up in all the drama, back stabbing and name calling.
Clay joined the reality show for one reason, to raise money for his charity, the National Inclusion Project, a charity he started so that he could help kids with disabilities be mainstreamed in programs. So far, prior to the finale, Clay raised $60,000 for the charity.
Clay’s tough reign on Donald Trump’s show has surprised many, but probably none more than Trump himself, here’s what Trump told Today, “I figured that he wouldn’t be that strong a player but he is a really strong player. A great singer, a tough guy, and nasty — and you wouldn’t think it.”
What do you think about Clay’s experience on the show? Sound off your comments below, do you think he deserved to be fired? Poor Clay is a runner-up again!
Image credit: Diane Cohen/Fame Pictures
